Review on the article “Sexual Exploitation: Prostitution and Organized Crime”
Full reference of the work:
Fondation Scelles Group. (2012). Sexual Exploitation: Prostitution and Organized Crime. Retrieved from http://www.fondationscelles.org/en/prostitution/prostitution-by-countryhttp://www.fondationscelles.org/pdf/rapport_mondial/sexual_exploitation_prostitution_Fondation_Scelles.pdf
The article of the Fondation Scelles Group (2012) is against prostitution, and considers prostituion as sexual exploitation in whichever cultural, economic or political contexts. The article gave overview of the prostitution globalization, commoditization and trivialization. Global prostitution is possible because it surpasses borders since human go from one country to another so as to perchance sex or practice prostitution. Some people leave their country with the hope of a better opportunity but were caught by traffickers who exploit them around the world. The development of new technologies allows prostitution to entirely disregard geographical borders. Solicitation is done through cell phones. Social networks are utilized to advertise meetings for the reason of paid sex. The steering of victims globally is done through the organized employment of numerical exchanges. Prostitution has been commercialized because it turned to be an economic market. Prostitution tends to increasingly penetrate itself inside the societies to the extent of becoming a common economic market. Moreover, the society tends to trivialize prostitution by assigning charming nicknames and alluring images to it. For some teenagers, sex becomes a method of exchange. They trade sex against a branded good or drugs. Sex trade is also trivialized through overfeeding of pornography; and permanently displaying images of women as simply sex objects. This makes prostitution appear to be an almost natural occasion to earn money or to get a material good.
Since prostitution becomes a global phenomenon, there has been an increase poverty of populations while at the same time a decrease in budgets intended to reintegrate prostitution sufferers and to battle against human trafficking. Nevertheless, the methods of addressing the problem vary in different countries. The article has shown the actuality of the sexual exploitation trade, its risks, its complication, and its stakes. The article has also shown possible responses to such issue. It made a global inventory over a timeframe. The article made a complete overview of prostitution in 54 countries as well as analysis of ten topics that were tackled in the news.
The structure of the article are composed of globalization, commercialization and trivialization of prostitution, followed by prostitution status in 54 countries such as Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Thailand, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and United States of America. Then the article tackled ten major topics that are mainly discussed in the news and these are: Choice of prostitution, topic and variations; 2011 Judiciary Responses, Cyber-Prostitution, Prohibiting the purchase of sexual services, Organized crime and money generated by prostitution, Society at risk, endangered youth, Health and prostitution, Immigration and prostitution, On-screen images of prostitution and Roma criminal networks.
Referencing
The article used Chicago referencing style with comprehensive in text citation, footnotes and bibliography for each section in the article.
Expression
The article used a first person voice in explaining and avoided passive voice. The article has provided extensive sources which were put in the bibliography for every section in the article. It utilized book, journal articles as well as TV programs to provide evidences. Overall, the article is very comprehensive, with well-organized writing style. The article also used uncomplicated words since it tackled conditions from different countries.
Review on the article “Legalization of prostitution in Thailand: A Challenge to Feminism and Societal Conscience”
Full Reference of the work:
Somswasdi, V. (2004). Legalization of prostitution in Thailand: A Challenge to Feminism and Societal Conscience. Cornell Law School Berger International Speaker Papers.
According to the article by Somswasdi (2004), it is obvious that the Thai government’s hidden motive in legalizing prostitution is to seize the economic profit gathered through underground economy of a projected $4.3 billion every year which is 3% of Thailand’s economy. The number of women and girls that are involved in prostitution is between 100,000 – 200,000 based from states industries. However, the NGOs estimated around 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 women and girls. The lowering of age that is involved in prostitution must also be a concern. The legalization of prostitution has also bombarded the Thai society and the feminist which question the rationality of social ignorance, economic greed and a patriarchal structure of view on the legalization of prostitution. Once again, societal conscience and feminist ideology are being tested. The issue of legalizing prostitution involves the idea of prostitution as work. On the other hand, decriminalization of prostituted women involves the idea that prostituted women are violated, exploited and victimized, and so they should not be punished.
The structure of the article is divided into the backdrop, the concept, the prostituted women then the conclusion. The backdrop section reported the quantity of women that are involved in prostitution as well as the hidden agenda in legalizing prostitution which is basically gaining economic profit from underground economy.
The context of prostitution is divided into two concepts which are the legalization of prostitution or legalization of the sex, and the decriminalization of prostituted women and industry. The two issues involve the idea of prostitution as work and prostituted women as victims that should not be penalized. Prostitution, even if legalized, can never be a rightful business because it will constantly be connected with human trafficking, mass sexual exploitation, corruption and crime. The implied supposition of free choice in expressions such as “personal freedom,” “right to privacy,” “the consent of two adults” and “the private affairs of individuals” are just configuration of a delusion which is deficient of social awareness of sexual slavery.
The prostituted women will be classified as members of a sexual service class if prostitution were to be legalized. However, the entire life paths of prostituted women must be considered even if they voluntarily enter the service class. The choices of prostituted women are merely survival strategies. Subjugation of women and girls, consumerism, law enforcement, legal loopholes, family obligations, misinformation and gender power relations contribute to the expansion of prostitution.
Thais must be more concerned of rehabilitation and human dignity instead of legitimizing illegal businesses. Thais should be focusing on how to support prostituted women to allow them to depart prostitution, provide sustainable and dignified work, protect women’s human rights, embrace gender equality and suppress prostitution.
The article is very relevant to the topic of interest since it is also against the legalization of prostitution. Moreover, the study specifically focuses in Thailand which is also the target area of our study. The article stressed that the issue of prostitution has been abridged to a subject of taxation for state income generation.
Referencing
The article used Chicago referencing style with complete in text citation and footnotes.
Expression
The article used a first person voice in explaining since it was a talk in Cornell Law School. The article avoided passive voice. The article has not provided any other conventions. Overall, the article is very well structured and easy to comprehend. The separation of every new main idea is very helpful in grasping the idea that the article is telling.
Review on the article “Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution And a Legal Response to the Demand for Prostitution.”
Full Reference of the work:
Raymond, J. G. (2003). Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution And a Legal Response to the Demand for Prostitution. Binghamton: Haworth Press.
The article of Raymond (2003) is against the legalization of prostitution in Thailand since, in reality, it tolerates brothel and the purchasing of women for marketable sexual exploitation, particularly in its sex tourism business. The article reviews the methods in which legalizing prostitution as employment option expands the sex industry, allows the damage of prostitution to women be imperceptible, and does not empower the women in prostitution.
The article gives ten arguments against legalizing prostitution. The arguments include the following: legalization/decriminalization of prostitution is a reward to the sex industry, traffickers and pimps; it endorses sex trafficking; it does not manage the sex industry but it increases it; it increases street, illegal and clandestine prostitution; it encourages child prostitution; it does not look after the women in prostitution; it increases the demand for prostitution; it promotes men to purchase women for sex in a broader and more allowable variety of socially tolerable settings; it does not endorse women’s health; it does not improve women’s choice; and Women involved in systems of prostitution do not desire that the sex industry are decriminalized or legalized. These arguments are applicable to all forms of prostitution that is supported by the state, such as decriminalization of the sex industry or any system in which prostitution is accepted as work or supported as an employment option, full-blown legalization of pimping and brothels, regulating prostitution by laws such as listing or mandating health checks for prostituted women.
At the end of the arguments, the article provided an alternative legal way regarding prostitution and that is penalizing the demand. There is no proof that legalization of prostitution improves the lives of prostituted women but, certainly, legalization of prostitution improves revenues for governments and for the sex industries.
Legalizing prostitution hides the reality of prostitution. Dirty money becomes clean and Illegal behaviors become legal. Governments that legalize prostitution will have a enormous economic wager in the sex industry which accordingly fosters dependence on the sex sector.
A legal alternative includes addressing the demand by punishing the men who purchase women for the sex of prostitution rather than authorizing prostitution.
Prostitution is a type of male violence against women and children. Prostitution and human trafficking are harmful practices that should not be divided to be able to successfully remove trafficking.
Governments should grab assets of sex industries and then utilize the money to give real alternatives for prostituted women. Preventing human trafficking and prostitution and prosecuting buyers, pimps, recruiters and traffickers will be in vain unless governments empower prostituted women by giving economic resources that facilitate women to make their lives better.
Referencing
The article used APA referencing style with complete in text citation and page number and list of references.
Expression
The article used a first person voice and avoided passive voice. Quotations are introduced in present tense with complete in-text citation including author, page number and year of publication. The article used textbooks, journal articles and reports as sources. The article is very descriptive and well-organized. It is easy to understand and direct to the point.
Comparative essay
The article of the Fondation Scelles Group (2012) has argued against prostitution by tackling its globalization, commoditization and trivialization. I would like to adopt the method of using these three concepts of prostitution to strengthen my argument. As in the article, prostitution is said to be globalized through the development of new technologies which allows prostitution to entirely disregard geographical borders. Commercialization of prostitution is done by turning it as an economic market or trade sex for obtaining goods. Trivialization of prostitution is done through overfeeding of pornography; and continuous displaying of images of women as simply sex objects.
The article of the Fondation Scelles Group (2012) has also demonstrated the real state of the sexual exploitation trade, its risks, its complication, and its stakes. I would also like to adopt the way the article present prostitution in different countries. By using overviews of prostitution in different countries, we can prove that prostituion is sexual exploitation in whichever cultural, economic or political contexts. In my article, I would also like to give possible responses to such issue which was also shown in the article of the Fondation Scelles Group (2012).
The last article by Raymond (2003) has reviewed the methods in which legalizing prostitution as employment option expands the sex industry, allows the damage of prostitution to women be imperceptible, and does not empower the women in prostitution. I would adopt the article’s method of discussing the mentioned effects by providing different arguments which will be separated in sections.
The article is against the legalization of prostitution in Thailand since, in reality, it tolerates brothel and the purchasing of women for marketable sexual exploitation, particularly in its sex tourism business. The article reviews the methods in which legalizing prostitution as employment option expands the sex industry, allows the damage of prostitution to women be imperceptible, and does not empower the women in prostitution. The arguments that I will provide will also be applicable to all forms of prostitution and not just in Thailand.
The three articles have used the first person voice successfully and they all avoided the use of passive voice. I would like to adopt both methods in my argumentative essay against legalization of prostitution. Moreover, I prefer the use APA referencing style in my essay. I think the article by Raymond (2003) has employed the simplest and most understandable method of referencing, and that is APA style. Moreover, I will incorporate different resources such as books, journal articles, reports and even news from TV and newspapers.
The three article have well-structure and organized thoughts and arguments. I would like to organize my work as well by first giving the backdrop and the concept of prostitution as in the article of Somswasdi (2004). Then I will provide different contexts of prostitution in different countries like in the article of the Fondation Scelles Group (2012). I will also provide different sections of arguments against legalizing prostitution as in the article of Raymond (2003). Then I will provide an alternative legal way regarding prostitution issues before providing my conclusion. My conclusion will talk about the need for the government to focus more on rehabilitation and human dignity instead of legitimizing prostitution. The government must focus on supporting prostituted women for them to leave the prostitution business and provide sustainable and dignified work. Legalizing prostitution will give enormous economic wager in the sex industry which consequently fosters dependence of the government on the sex industry. It tolerates brothel and the purchasing of women for marketable sexual exploitation. There is no proof that legalization of prostitution will empower prostituted women or will provide them better lives. Instead of legalizing prostitution, the government must protect women’s human rights, suppress prostitution and embrace gender equality.
References
Fondation Scelles Group. (2012). Sexual Exploitation: Prostitution and Organized Crime,.
Raymond, J. G. (2003). Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution And a Legal Response to the Demand for Prostitution. Binghamton: Haworth Press.
Somswasdi, V. (2004). Legalization of prostitution in Thailand: A Challenge to Feminism and Societal Conscience. Cornell Law School Berger International Speaker Papers.
